men and masculinity

The notion of masculinity and how society perceives the male gender when it comes to masculinity has changed over time . When we look at the male perception dating back to the Renaissance period - the early modern man - and compare it to the early part of the 1900 's , we see a change in society . Then , if we venture into the window of today 's masculine male we see yet another alteration in the fabric of what it means to be masculine

The Epic male in the early Renaissance periods was a time when

the concept of manhood was characterized around humanistic tradition and chivalry . Several social developments had a dramatic impact on culture 's masculine male . For one , there was an evolutionary shift in male gender characteristics . What this means is that there was a more pronounce separation of the biological processes between the sexes . For one , war created a more mediocre middle class society . The male was needed for war and , thus , needed to display strength and leadership both on the battlefield in on the home front

Prior to this , in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries , there were vastly different ideals surrounding manliness and manhood . The concept of masculinity was amazingly flexible . Here , it was believed that the gender male did not automatically award manliness . This was a time when the need to be `all-male ' was not considered a necessary component of making the complete male . This could also be construed as a time that was more consistent with the social changes in the twentieth century giving birth to the gender-altering nature of the masculine male of the twenty-first century

Since the 1950 's , the masculine male-identity has changed . Prior to this , it was still the man who led the family , made the decisions . The male was the bread-winner and muscle behind keeping a family safe strong , and healthy . It was a slow process but the evolution of a new male can be viewed as a softer , more sensitive being . For example social s have devised a name for this new man : the sensitive-new-age-guy . This new male has taken on some aspects of the female . Today , it 's very common and acceptable for the masculine male to display empathy , compassion , and generally show his emotions - something that was previously set aside for the female gender role Along with this , there is also the metrosexual , a male born with innate female-grooming habits , and generally more sensitive . There is room to question this , however for the male gender has had a tradition having an interest in their appearance

Today , the acceptance of the homosexual male has entered the picture It 's become more acceptable over the past few decades . The term homosexual had been considered more androgynous or feminine . However today , the homosexual male can be masculine and even display excessive masculinity

The debate is open as to whether or not this more accepted change in masculinity - when speaking of the homosexual male - is due to social or biological issues . Some people still consider the traditional gender roles to be too restrictive when the homosexual role is separated from the acceptable norm

Regardless of one 's preference in determining what is masculine and what is not masculine , it 's become more apparent that there is no threat to destroying the traditional gender role . That will always be there . The more acceptance seen in the homosexual segment of society can be viewed a social construct . As society continues to grow and evolve , the masculine identity also evolves . If anything , this can be a sign of society becoming more liberating . For liberation is what unites people within the many different facets of masculinity and societal change